BT Mind Journalist of the Year Award and Student Journalist of the Year Award shortlists announced

For immediate release, Tuesday 1 May 2007

Awards come in 'breakthrough year' for mental health
Melvyn Bragg to host Awards ceremony, Wednesday 16 May

Mental health charity Mind today announced the shortlists for 2007's BT Mind Journalist of the Year award and Student Journalist of the Year award, in a pivotal year for mental health. The BT Mind Journalist of the Year award promotes and rewards excellence in mental health reporting. The BT Mind Student Journalist of the Year award is a new accolade intended to recognise and encourage high-quality mental health writing in student media.

Over the last year, attention on the Mental Health Bill, safety on wards, mental health and employment, cannabis, and celebrities such as Stephen Fry and Alastair Campbell speaking about their experience of mental distress, have made this year a high-water mark for mental health coverage in the media.

Head of Media at Mind, Claire Ashby, said:

"This year has been the beginning of a breakthrough for mental health. We have seen possibly the greatest ever expansion of awareness of mental ill health, and its impact both on individuals and on society. As we look to the future, we will rely more than ever on enlightened reporting that breaks rather than builds barriers, and that vividly demonstrates the realities of mental distress.

"The writers on our shortlist have all distinguished themselves with work that contributes to public understanding of mental distress. And moreover, they have demonstrated great courage in pursuing topics that have long been shunned or neglected.

"While today's journalists are laying this path, tomorrow's are close behind. The nominations for our first ever student journalist award were of a high standard, and we can be assured that another generation of journalists will be tackling mental health with the same confidence that those on our Journalist of the Year shortlist have."

"It has never been more important for there to be accurate representations of the reality of mental distress in the media. A robustly-funded anti-stigma campaign in Scotland has greatly improved understanding of mental ill health north of the border, but public prejudice in England is growing. At the same time, the rights of people with mental health problems are threatened in England and Wales, where the Government is pushing ahead with legislation that will fundamentally damage mental health services."

The BT Mind awards for Book of the Year, Journalist of the Year, Student Journalist of the Year, and Champion of the Year, will be announced at a ceremony hosted by Mind's president, Lord Bragg, on Wednesday 16 May. Details of the other awards are at www.mind.org.uk/News+policy+and+campaigns/Press/

This year, Mind is delighted to announce that BT is sponsoring the Mind Awards. BT's work on employee mental health makes them a leader in the field for promoting mental wellbeing in the workplace.

BT Mind Journalist of the Year award shortlist

Sam Lister, The Times
100 women raped or assaulted in mental health wards
Ministers forced to tell truth on hospital wards
Hospitals forced to review patients' safety after rapes shock
Sam Lister's articles demonstrate a commitment to vociferous yet compassionate journalism on one of the most pressing issues in mental health today.

Jeremy Laurance, The Independent
The Big Question: Should the severely disordered be locked up to protect the public?
The Big Question: Will the new mental health Bill make Britain a safer place?
Mental Health Bill will do nothing for public safety, research shows
Jeremy Laurance overcomes the mire of mental health legislation to explain the topic elegantly and accessibly.

Angela Knight, St Albans Observer
Renee Band lay dead at her home in Marshalswick for 107 days despite 10 visits from mental health workers. Why?
Angela Knight's detailed reporting on the case of a woman whose death went unnoticed by mental health staff was both informative and sympathetic, putting mental distress in its social and personal context.

Michele Kirsch, times 2
Voices in your head? You may not be crazy
Michele Kirsch's article impressed the shortlisting panel with its open and accepting approach to people's personal accounts and its exploration of social models of hearing voices.

Derek Draper and Cecilia D'Felice, Psychologies
Break through from depression
Derek Draper and Cecilia d'Felice's detailed and innovative feature on depression and methods to cope with it was practical, supportive and non-stigmatising.

Ben Goldacre, The Guardian
It's not so easy to predict murder - do the maths
Ben Goldacre's factual, informative and highly readable piece on risk analysis gave a meaningful and thought-provoking scientific context for political debate.

BT Mind Student Journalist of the Year award shortlist

Craig Burnett, Scan, University of Lancaster
The last taboo
Craig Burnett's well-written article on a sensitive subject, self-harm, was both informative and interesting.

Joanna Shelley, Nouse, University of York
The best days of your life?
Here's looking at you, kid
Joanna Shelley's thoughtful articles on the flip-sides of students' lives were engaging and appealing.

Helen Thompson, Gair Rhydd, University of Cardiff
Asperger's syndrome
Helen Thompson's article on the implications of Asperger's syndrome for students was informative, readable and rewarding.

Chris White, Gair Rhydd, University of Cardiff
Dealing with dementia
Chris White's sympathetic article neatly demonstrated the pressure many carers are under.

The award winners will be announced on Wednesday 16 May.

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For further information please contact the Mind press office: 020 8522 1743 / press@mind.org.uk

Notes

Mind is the leading mental health charity in England and Wales. Because people with experience of mental distress inform all that we do, we know what the real issues are. Our independence from pharmaceutical companies and government gives us the freedom to speak out.